Firestorm

 

Firestorm

Lisa Tawn Bergren

Waterbrook Press 

1996

Romance, Fiction, Christian 

As a smoke jumper, Reyne Oldre--friend to Rachel Tanner and Beth Morgan (Refuge)--once led a team of courageous firefighters into a blaze that ended in unspeakable tragedy. Now crippled by fear, she conducts fire research from a safe distance, determined not to risk that kind of pain again. But when the flames of love begin to flicker between her and smoke jumper Logan McCabe, Reyne must face the fearsome storms from her past and battle the raging Firestorm that burns in her soul.

I remember reading this book in high school and enjoying it very much. While I never thought it measured up to the first 5 books in the series I always loved Bergren's writing. I was looking forward to rereading this book. In the spirit of being honest the book was not anywhere near as good as I remembered. In fact I found it completely cheesy. Unlike Bergren's other books these characters are not well developed and you'll find yourself trying to catch up with no markings along the way. 

The fire aspect is fascinating but at times I found the technical aspects to be a bit overdone. The best part of the book is being able to revisit characters from previous books. My taste in high school was obviously quite a bit lower than it is now. Call me a snob or call me particular, this one won't be staying on my shelf. 

My thanks to Multnomah Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

After All

After All
Deborah Raney
Howard Books
Genre: fiction/Christian/romance
Publication Date: 2012

Susan Marlowe lost her husband and four other firefighters in a tragic fire 18 months ago. She is beginning to heal and move forward. Her homeless shelter has become a reality and is reaching the homeless in her community. Unfortunately due to the tragedy surrounding the fire at the last shelter the town of Hanover Falls is not as enthused about the shelter as she.

While Susan deeply mourns her husband David she also mourns the last couple of years of their marriage where they seemed to have drifted apart. When she learns that her husband had been having an emotional affair she is devastated. She feels guilty and angry and in the midst of trying to care for her almost adult sons she knows she must lead by example and forgive. But can she?

Fire chief Peter Brennan walks with a cloud around him. He is carrying the weight of his divorce, the fire tragedy, and his own self-doubt. When Susan walks back into his world he catches a glimpse of what could be. As he begins to notice her as more than just a friend healing begins to take place in his heart. He renews his connection with the "man upstairs" and begins to find purpose and meaning once again.

It all sounds rosy until you throw in a troubled fire inspector who is yearning for the love she lost and isn't allowed to mourn. She was the other half of David's affair. She's searching for the love she had with him that she was never allowed to fully explore. On the prowl for a man she puts continual snags in Pete and Susan's budding relationship When a mysterious fire starts in Susan's backyard and a disturbed individual starts following her the plot does indeed thicken.

This is the final installment in the Hanover Falls trilogy. I have not yet had the privilege of reading the first two books. I could tell right away I was coming into a series but Raney did a great job as an author of making sure I didn't get lost. This was a very easy and enjoyable read. With just enough depth to keep me thinking and enough intrigue to keep me turning pages into the night I very much enjoyed After All. Raney writes excellent character development and her characters are real relateable people. You'll find yourself understanding more of the troubled fire inspector as you learn about her past. You'll relate to grief Susan has she deals with a number of issues. You'll find Pete both likeable and human and you'll want to go find him and shake his hand. Do yourself a favor and dive into this series, you won't regret it!

Thank you to Howard Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and real review.